I had the pleasure of interviewing Ori Kedar, who has volunteered to work as a mentor with a team of
three IDEASS students, Kevin Dang (Environmental Studies and Economics), Shyon Kishani
(Chemistry), and Matt Claxton (Chemistry). The team meets regularly with Jon
Bombaci who is the acting Supervisor for operations on the Santa Cruz Municipal
Wharf.

Together they are
contributing to a larger effort to help Santa Cruz demonstrate what can be done
to live more sustainably by concentrating on something that most people either
assume to be a waste product or simply ignore: the yellow grease leftover from
restaurant fryers.

Collectively, the
restaurants leasing space on the Santa Cruz Wharf produce a significant amount
of yellow grease, and the team is looking at how to transform what is now
treated as a waste product into an asset.Specifically they are looking at the potential to process yellow grease
on site. The yellow grease can be transformed into a fuel stock that can be
combusted to run a generator, which produces electricity. Additionally, as Kedar explained, they are also looking at the potential for incarceration of organic
solid waste, which would produce heat to run a steam turbine generator and
produce electricity.

The students have also been looking at what infrastructure
would be necessary to produce such an alternative waste disposal system and the
net associated costs. To do this the team has been collecting data to prepare an
economic assessment of what it is currently costing the wharf to remove the
grease along with other solids in the waste stream. They will present these
figures to stakeholders at the Master Plan meeting before making
recommendations to invest in proposed solutions.

IDEASS is a 3-quarter service-learning course offered through Baskin Engineering in cooperation with the Environmental Studies Department but is open to qualified students from any major.This year,IDEASS successfully launched 11 ambitious sustainable design projects – most of which directly involve off-campus organizations and professionals working to make innovative advances in creating what some have recognized as theemerging “green economy.”

According to Kedar, IDEASS is “a great
opportunity to use what you learn in the class about sustainability and apply
it to the real world.” He suggests that by working in the community, “you have
an opportunity to work with different ethical organizations, [and] leave a
mark.” He adds, “If you find an area you are interested in, you can make a
career. Many times, if a project doesn’t get completed, they may hire students
to see it through.”

What an opportunity!
If you would like to apply to IDEASS, please visit the IDEASS website to fill
out the application online, or email the IDEASS instructors for more
information at ideas@ucsc.edu

1 comment:

This seems very promising. If their ideas are further developed, maybe this would be the solution to the increasing price of fuel. And I guess this would also address the issues concerning sewer blockage due to grease.

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The Sustainability Office fosters a culture of sustainability at UCSC by actively engaging students, staff, faculty and community members through education, leadership development, institutional change and behavioral transformation. As a campus resource, the Sustainability Office provides information, tools, policy advice and facilitation for key sustainability plans and policies.